Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)

ABSTRACT Objective Although post‐arthroscopy osteonecrosis of the knee is well‐documented in the literature, its etiology and prognosis remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to present a group of individuals who experienced avascular necrosis following knee arthroscopy, to examine the factors...

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Main Authors: Panagiotis Ntagiopoulos, Georgios Kalinterakis, Pierrenzo Pozzi, Dimitris Fligkos, George Themistocleous, Sotirios Themistokleous, Triantafyllia Dimou, Riccardo Compagnoni, Paolo Ferrua, Pietro Simone Randelli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Orthopaedic Surgery
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1111/os.70020
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author Panagiotis Ntagiopoulos
Georgios Kalinterakis
Pierrenzo Pozzi
Dimitris Fligkos
George Themistocleous
Sotirios Themistokleous
Triantafyllia Dimou
Riccardo Compagnoni
Paolo Ferrua
Pietro Simone Randelli
author_facet Panagiotis Ntagiopoulos
Georgios Kalinterakis
Pierrenzo Pozzi
Dimitris Fligkos
George Themistocleous
Sotirios Themistokleous
Triantafyllia Dimou
Riccardo Compagnoni
Paolo Ferrua
Pietro Simone Randelli
author_sort Panagiotis Ntagiopoulos
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Objective Although post‐arthroscopy osteonecrosis of the knee is well‐documented in the literature, its etiology and prognosis remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to present a group of individuals who experienced avascular necrosis following knee arthroscopy, to examine the factors leading to this condition and assess the outcomes of treatment, as well as to perform a literature review on the subject. Methods We retrospectively studied patients between January 2015 and March 2024 who had developed knee osteonecrosis following a standard arthroscopic procedure for treating meniscal tears. All adult patients with isolated meniscus tears and grade 2 or less chondral lesions were included. Patients with evidence of bone edema on MRI performed 4–6 weeks after the onset of preoperative symptoms were not included in the study. The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was used as an outcome measure. A correlation analysis was performed to explore the degree of association between variables, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results Eight patients out of 974 arthroscopies met the inclusion criteria. There was one woman and seven men (mean age 57 [range: 51–71]). The lesions noted at arthroscopy included seven medial meniscus tears that were treated with excision and one lateral meniscal tear that was treated with suture repair and still developed osteonecrosis. None of them were traumatic while all patients had early degenerative changes in the compartment of interest. Conclusions Osteonecrosis should be suspected in older patients experiencing worsening symptoms following knee arthroscopy for degenerative meniscus tears and partial meniscectomy. Increased age, a higher BMI, and a delayed diagnosis appear to be associated with more severe disease progression and the need for operative treatment.
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spelling doaj-art-cd26ebf29a134256b9526402a0bd4af62025-08-20T03:10:55ZengWileyOrthopaedic Surgery1757-78531757-78612025-05-011751378138810.1111/os.70020Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)Panagiotis Ntagiopoulos0Georgios Kalinterakis1Pierrenzo Pozzi2Dimitris Fligkos3George Themistocleous4Sotirios Themistokleous5Triantafyllia Dimou6Riccardo Compagnoni7Paolo Ferrua8Pietro Simone Randelli9Hip and Knee Unit, Mediterraneo Hospital Athens GreeceHip and Knee Unit, Mediterraneo Hospital Athens GreeceU.O.C. 1° Clinica Ortopedica, ASST G. Pini‐CTO Milan ItalyHip and Knee Unit, Mediterraneo Hospital Athens GreeceHip and Knee Unit, Mediterraneo Hospital Athens GreeceHip and Knee Unit, Mediterraneo Hospital Athens GreeceHip and Knee Unit, Mediterraneo Hospital Athens GreeceU.O.C. 1° Clinica Ortopedica, ASST G. Pini‐CTO Milan ItalyU.O.C. 1° Clinica Ortopedica, ASST G. Pini‐CTO Milan ItalyU.O.C. 1° Clinica Ortopedica, ASST G. Pini‐CTO Milan ItalyABSTRACT Objective Although post‐arthroscopy osteonecrosis of the knee is well‐documented in the literature, its etiology and prognosis remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to present a group of individuals who experienced avascular necrosis following knee arthroscopy, to examine the factors leading to this condition and assess the outcomes of treatment, as well as to perform a literature review on the subject. Methods We retrospectively studied patients between January 2015 and March 2024 who had developed knee osteonecrosis following a standard arthroscopic procedure for treating meniscal tears. All adult patients with isolated meniscus tears and grade 2 or less chondral lesions were included. Patients with evidence of bone edema on MRI performed 4–6 weeks after the onset of preoperative symptoms were not included in the study. The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was used as an outcome measure. A correlation analysis was performed to explore the degree of association between variables, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results Eight patients out of 974 arthroscopies met the inclusion criteria. There was one woman and seven men (mean age 57 [range: 51–71]). The lesions noted at arthroscopy included seven medial meniscus tears that were treated with excision and one lateral meniscal tear that was treated with suture repair and still developed osteonecrosis. None of them were traumatic while all patients had early degenerative changes in the compartment of interest. Conclusions Osteonecrosis should be suspected in older patients experiencing worsening symptoms following knee arthroscopy for degenerative meniscus tears and partial meniscectomy. Increased age, a higher BMI, and a delayed diagnosis appear to be associated with more severe disease progression and the need for operative treatment.https://doi.org/10.1111/os.70020arthroscopychondral lesionskneemeniscectomyosteonecrosis
spellingShingle Panagiotis Ntagiopoulos
Georgios Kalinterakis
Pierrenzo Pozzi
Dimitris Fligkos
George Themistocleous
Sotirios Themistokleous
Triantafyllia Dimou
Riccardo Compagnoni
Paolo Ferrua
Pietro Simone Randelli
Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)
Orthopaedic Surgery
arthroscopy
chondral lesions
knee
meniscectomy
osteonecrosis
title Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)
title_full Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)
title_fullStr Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)
title_full_unstemmed Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)
title_short Can Knee Arthroscopy Be Considered Entirely Safe for Patients Over 50 Years Old With no Risk of Osteonecrosis? Case Series and Literature Review on Post‐Artrhoscopy Osteonecrosis of the Knee (PAONK)
title_sort can knee arthroscopy be considered entirely safe for patients over 50 years old with no risk of osteonecrosis case series and literature review on post artrhoscopy osteonecrosis of the knee paonk
topic arthroscopy
chondral lesions
knee
meniscectomy
osteonecrosis
url https://doi.org/10.1111/os.70020
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